Small Words in Japanese

• さっき sakki - a while ago
  EXAMPLE さっきのことはありがとう。 sakki no koto wa arigatou. Thank you for what you did a while ago.
• 先ほど sakihodo - a little while ago
  EXAMPLE 先ほどいらっしゃいました。 sakihodo irasshaimashita. (he) came a little while ago.
• たったいま tattaima - just, just now
• たまに tamani - occasionally, sometimes
  EXAMPLE たまに東京へ行く。 tama ni toukyou he iku. I go to Tokyo sometimes.
• まさに masani - just, very, be about to...
• 結局 kekkyoku - in the end, after all
  結局、恋人になりました。kekkyoku, koibito ni narimashita. In the end, they became girlfriend / boyfriend.
• たいてい taitei - usually, always, most
• いつでも itsudemo - anytime, always
  EXAMPLE いつでも来て下さい。 itsudemo kitte kudasai. Please come anytime.
• きまって kimatte - always
• ずっと zutto - all the time, all the way, far
  EXAMPLE 彼はずっとテレビを見た。 kare wa zutto terebi wo mita. He watched TV for a long time.
• いつか itsuka - some time, someday
  EXAMPLE いつか、月へ行きたい。itsuka, tsuki he ikitai. Someday I want to go to the Moon.
• しばらく shibaraku - for a while
  EXAMPLE しばらくお待ち下さい。 shibaraku omachi kudasai. Please wait a little while.
• そろそろ sorosoro - soon
  EXAMPLE そろそろ 始めましょう sorosoro hajimemashou. Let's begin soon.
• とっくに tokkuni - already, long ago
• このごろ konogoro - these days
• いまごろ imagoro - about this time
  EXAMPLE あしたの いまごろ ashita no imagoro - tomorrow about this time

At this Time:

• さきに sakini - before ~ do this, ahead
• さいしょに saisho ni - in the beginning, firstly
  EXAMPLE 最初に食べましょう。 saisho ni tabemashou. Let's eat first.
• さいごに saigo ni - in the end, lastly
  EXAMPLE 最後に なりました。 saigo ni narimashita. The end has come.
• いまだに imadani - still, even now

Descriptive Words:

• きちんと kichinto - accurately, exactly
• ちゃんと chanto - correctly, neatly
• ぴったり pittari - exactly, perfect
• はっきり hakkiri - clear, clearly
• ぎりぎり girigiri - just in time, just barely... MORE...
  EXAMPLE ぎりぎり逃げた。 girigiri nigeta. (I) just barely escaped.
• いっしょうけんめい isshoukenmei - with all of one's might, as best as one can do
• 自由に jyuu ni - freely
  EXAMPLE 自由に座って下さい。jiyuu ni suwatte kudasai. Please feel free to take a seat. (choose any seat freely)
• ちょくせつ chokusetsu - directly
  EXAMPLE ちょくせつ言う。choku setsu iu. (I) will speak directly.
• 急に （きゅうに） kyuuni - suddenly
• にくい nikui - difficult
  EXAMPLEこのパンは食べにくいです。 kono pan wa tabe nikui desu. This bread is hard to eat.
• やすい yasui - easy
  EXAMPLE コーラは飲みやすいです。 kora wa nomi yasui desu. Cola is easy to drink.
• 全く mattaku - really, quite, completely
  EXAMPLE 全く同じ mattaku onaji. (It's) exactly the same
• たいがい taigai - most, mostly

• ずいぶん zuibun - very, a lot
• かなり kanari - fairly, pretty
• 結構 kekkou - fairly, pretty ~
  EXAMPLE 結構上手ですね。 kekkou jouzu desu ne. (he's) pretty good (at something)!
• もっと motto - more
• できるだけ dekiru dake - as much as possible, as much as one can do
  EXAMPLE できるだけ、 早く帰ってね。 dekiru dake hayaku kaette ne. Come back as soon as possible.
• ちっとも chittomo - (not) at all
• ほとんど hotondo - most, almost, nearly all
  EXAMPLE ほとんどのアメリカ人は 日本語ができない。 hotondo no amerika jin wa nihongo ga dekinai. Most Americans can't speak Japanese.
• あんなに annani - such, like that
• ほど hodo - about some, or so, such
• ~ほど ~ではない ~hodo ~dewanai - not as ~ as ~

Other:

• とにかく tonikaku - anyway, in any case, anyhow
• について nitsuite - About, for
  EXAMPLE くまのプーさんについて 話しましょう。 kuma no pu-san nitsuite hanashimashou. (Let's talk ABOUT winnie the Pooh.)
• ため tame - For this reason, for his/her benefit
  EXAMPLE 由美のためにプレゼントを買った。 yumi no tame ni purezento o katta. (I bought a present for Yumi.)
• ~ように ~youni - Like this, in this way
  EXAMPLE 私のようにして下さい。 watashi no youni shite kudasai. Please do like me.
• まるで marude - just like, quite
• くれぐれも kure guremo - again and again; repeatedly; earnestly
• しても shitemo - even if, if
• らしい rashii - seems, looks as if, they say that ~
  EXAMPLE その絵はとてもピカソらしいですね。 sono e wa totemo pikaso rashii desu ne. Isn't that painting very Picasso-ish?
• とくに tokuni - especially, particularly
  EXAMPLE 特に素晴らしいことです。 tokuni subarashii koto desu. It's an especially wonderful thing!
• はず hazu -should be, must be
  EXAMPLE あの店はあるはずです。ano mise wa aru hazu desu. That store should have it.
• その上 sono ue - besides (what's more...)
• など nado - and so on, etc.
• すなわち sunawachi - that is to say, or
• むしろ mushiro - rather (than)
• しかも shikamo - besides, and yet

Conjunctions

• だが daga - but, though
• （な）のに (na) noni - though, in spite of
  EXAMPLE 勉強してのに、いつも失敗。 benkyou shite noni, itsumo shippai. Although I study, I always fail.
• （な）ので (na) node - because, since
  EXAMPLE 日本語は難しいので もっと勉強します。 nihongo wa muzukashii node motto benkyou shimasu. Because Japanese is difficult, I will study more.